WIP Mondays ~ Dragon Twins

Jade woke up again and this time she found herself sitting up bound to a chair in the middle of a comfortably decorated living room. There was a couch and a love seat along two of the walls. There was a large arm chair against the wall that she was facing. The coffee table, solid hardwood by the look of it, was between her chair and the arm chair.

She tried to look out the window, but all she could see was a bleak bit of daylight oozing in between the heavy dark curtains. It was the only amount of light that shined in the room.

She looked down to see what it was that she held to the chair with, now that her eyes had grown accustomed to the dim light. She found that she was tied to the chair by a thick braided rope. Try as she might she found that she could not loosen it even in the slightest.

As she struggled she almost gagged on the rag they had stuffed in her mouth.

The sounds of her retching must have gained the attention of her captors as a man suddenly appeared at the doorway. He was an Asian man short, certainly shorter than she was, maybe five foot six at most. His hair was neatly trimmed and he was pleated dress pants with a crisp white button down shirt.

“Ahh…So you are awake now.” The man had a quiet and soothing voice, unlike the harsh barking the other men had spat at her. Who was this guy anyway?

“I am sure you have a lot of questions. From what I have heard you are a very bright girl and bright girls always have questions.”

Jade just stared not daring to move even when the man approached her.

He was close enough now that she could smell the cologne he was wearing.

“If I remove this awful rag from your mouth will you promise not to scream?”

Jade nodded.

He reached out and took the gag out of her mouth. She just sat there not moving a muscle.

“There that’s better. Now we can have a quiet conversation, you and I.”

Jade still said nothing, just watched as he walked back around the coffee table and sat down in the big arm chair across from her.

“Now what questions do you have for me, bright child?”

Jane still remained silent, not fully trusting her voice. She did not want to show this man how afraid she was. She was afraid for her life and for the lives of her parents. She could almost imagine what her mother was doing right at that moment.

And her father would be enraging at anyone who would listen and even to those who wouldn’t. Hong Chu had a way of making people listen to him even no matter what.

“Oh come now child surely you are not a mute. You must have some questions for me.”

“Who are you? And why have you brought me here? What have I ever done to you?” she demanded, hoping her voice would not betray the knot of fear resting in the pit of her stomach.

The man laughed.

“Oh good so you do have a voice! And some very intelligent questions to go with it! Very good. I will make you a deal I will answer your questions one at a time, but for every question of yours I answer you will answer three of mine.

As I have many more questions for you than you have for me. Although I think that my answers will create more questions from you, but for now that is the way it will be, fair enough?”

Jade stared at him for a moment. Was this guy crazy or something? Was this all he wanted to play twenty questions with her? If that was the case then he could have just asked her out for coffee. No she decided.

There was something else. She also knew that the longer she played along with him the less of a chance there was for him to do something to hurt her. That meant there was a better chance that she would be found and rescued.

She nodded her agreement.

“Good shall we start with one of yours first? Or one of mine?”

“Who are you?” she demanded again.

“I am Ling Chong. A Chinese business man. Now my turn. I want to know about-“

“How do I know that you are telling me the truth? You could be lying to me for all I know.”

“That is another question but, for the sake of putting your mind at ease I will answer it. The simple answer is there is no way to know if I am telling you the truth or not. I could very well be lying to you as you say, but the only solution to this is that you will just have to trust me.”